System and method for locating, measuring, counting, and aiding in the handling of drill pipes

ABSTRACT

Disclosed embodiments relate to systems and methods for locating, measuring, counting or aiding in the handling of drill pipes 106. The system 100 comprises at least one camera 102 capable of gathering visual data 150 regarding detecting, localizing or both, pipes 106, roughnecks 116, elevators 118 and combinations thereof. The system 100 further comprises a processor 110 and a logging system 114 for recording the gathered visual data 150. The method 200 comprises acquiring visual data 150 using a camera 106, analyzing the acquired data 150, and recording the acquired data 150.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments described herein relate to systems and methods for locating,measuring, counting, and aiding in the handling of drill pipes.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

Modern drilling involves scores of people and multiple inter-connectingactivities. Obtaining real-time information about ongoing operations isof paramount importance for safe, efficient drilling. As a result,modern rigs often have thousands of sensors actively measuring numerousparameters related to vessel operation, in addition to information aboutthe down-hole drilling environment.

Despite the multitude of sensors on today's rigs, a significant portionof rig activities and sensing problems remain difficult to measure withclassical instrumentation and person-in-the-loop sensing is oftenutilized in place of automated sensing.

By applying automated, computer-based video interpretation, continuous,robust, and accurate assessment of many different phenomena can beachieved through pre-existing video data without requiring aperson-in-the-loop. Automated interpretation of video data is known ascomputer vision, and recent advances in computer vision technologieshave led to significantly improved performance across a wide range ofvideo-based sensing tasks. Computer vision can be used to improvesafety, reduce costs and improve efficiency.

Handling and counting of drill pipes on a rig is typically accomplishedusing primarily human-in-the-loop techniques. For example, a person isresponsible for maintaining an accurate log of the types, diameters andlengths of pipes entered into the well-bore as drilling progresses andresponsible for counting pipes as they are removed from the well-bore.Although a relatively simple human endeavor, errors in pipe tallying canand do occur, and these errors can cause significant disruptions todrilling activities.

Classical instrumentation for pipe tallying is either time-consuming(e.g., manual measurement of each pipe) or not suitable for harshdown-well conditions (e.g., RFID tagging). In contrast, computer visiontechnologies can be utilized to perform many of the activities currentlyundertaken manually, providing significant savings in drilling time andcost and reducing the risk from pipe tally errors. These techniquesprovide a more accurate technique for generating pipe tallies and cansignificantly reduce rig down-time due to pipe tally errors; potentiallysaving millions of dollars per year. Therefore, there is a need for anautomated computer vision based technique for measuring pipe lengths anddiameters, and counting pipe segments as they enter into or are removedfrom the well-bore.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts one of many embodiments of a system involving multiplecameras and CPUs for monitoring drilling pipe and assisting in drillingpipe handling.

FIG. 2 depicts a potential series of steps involved in a system formonitoring drilling pipe and assisting in drilling pipe handling.

FIG. 3 depicts a potential series of steps involved in visuallyanalyzing pipe detection.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The “Pipe Tally System” system, PTS, consists of several parts. In onepreferred embodiment, one or more video cameras 102 positioned so as tobe able to see the drilling pipe 106 as it is attached to, or removedfrom the drill-string 107. Depending on requirements, one camera 102 atsufficient distance from the bore-hole 108 to view the entire pipe 106segment at once may be sufficient, otherwise two or more cameras 102 maybe used, each of which may only see part of the pipe 106 as it isentered into the drill-string 107, but information or data 150 can beaggregated across the different cameras using the known camera positionsand poses.

Each camera 102 may contain or be connected to a computer 110 whichdetects and localizes pipes 106, the iron roughneck 116, the elevator118, or other relevant components. Different regions of interest foreach object type can be defined using the known camera 102 geometry, orusing user-inputs. Since the cameras 102 are at known distances from thebore-hole 108, camera transform information can be used to calculate thepipe lengths and diameters as they are tracked into and out of thewell-bore 108. Information about the well-state, including the number ofpipe stands and pipe segments 106 in the well may be accumulated on acentral computing resource 110. In an alternative embodiment involvingmultiple cameras 102, pipe length, diameter, location and trackinginformation may be calculated by accumulating information 150 about thepipe 106 across multiple camera feeds.

Pipes 106 on a rig may be marked with paint or other marking system tomake them easier to detect (e.g., a colorful stripe of paint near eitherend of the pipe 106 can help in detection, localization and lengthestimation).

In certain embodiments, the resulting information 150 about pipes 106may be amalgamated into an automatically generated well-state reportwhich may include a pipe tally (information about the pipe lengths anddiameters, time the pipe 106 was added to or removed from thedrill-string 107, or any other pipe 106 specific information). Automaticalarms 120 may be raised to the attention of the drill team (1) if atany time the automatic pipe tally does not match a manually generatedpipe tally, (2) if a new piece of pipe 106 being added to thedrill-string 107 is not commensurate with the current drill-string 107(e.g., wrong pipe diameter), or (3) any other condition arises in whichan alarm 120 is desired.

In FIG. 1, cameras 102 are mounted around the drill-string 107, orientedto be able to see new segments of pipe 106 as they are added to thedrill-string 107, or as they are removed from the drill-string 107. Ifthe rig design allows it, one camera 102 may be sufficient.Alternatively, multiple cameras 102, each of which may only be able tosee part of the pipe 106 can also be utilized. In some embodiments,cameras 102 may also be able to see well-bore 108, rough neck 116 andelevator 118. Processor 110 is connected to cameras 102 and capable ofanalyzing the visual data 150 gathered by the cameras 102.

In FIG. 2, a potential configuration of the disclosed system is shown.Cameras 102 are connected to processor 110. Processor 110 may beconnected to a logging system 122, an alarm 120 and/or a display device124. It will be appreciated that many embodiments may contain greater orfewer cameras 102, processors 110 or other components than specificallyshown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 shows the steps involved in a potential method for locating,measuring, counting, and/or aiding in the handling of drill pipes. Themethod includes acquiring visual data 202, analyzing visual data 204,recording data 206, displaying data 208, alerting staff 210 andinterrupting operations 212.

Specific regions of the scene (region of interest) may be identifiedduring installation to specify the location of the vertical region abovethe well-bore 108, the location of the iron roughneck 116, or otherrelevant locations in each camera's 102 field of view.

During installation, the locations and poses of each camera 102 may berecorded. Camera locations can be finely estimated using standard cameracalibration techniques (e.g., fiducial objects of known size andlocation in each camera's 102 field of view) immediately afterinstallation, or whenever the cameras 102 have moved enough to requirere-calibration.

In the case of multiple cameras 102, at least one camera 102 should beable to see the top and another camera 102 see the bottom of the pipe106 at the same time when the pipe 106 is directly above thedrill-string 107.

Pipe 106, roughneck 116 and/or elevator 118 detection may beaccomplished using a combination of techniques. In an alternativeembodiment, adaptive background estimation and subtraction models (e.g.,adaptive Gaussian mixture models) may be applied to perform foregroundand/or background segmentation. Since the background should berelatively stable over the time-frames during which each object isin-frame, adaptive background updating can be halted when a specificobject is detected. This prevents the background estimation from“learning” the pipe 106 as part of the background. Furthermore, shapeand size constraints can be applied to reduce false-alarms due to othernon-pipe related changes in the scene. Pipes 106 used in drilling arelong and narrow, and the diameters of the pipes 106 under considerationare tightly constrained. As a result, object aspect ratio and objectsize (given known camera 102 location relative to the drill-string 107)can be used to reduce non-pipe false alarms.

Changes in the background that are approximately the correct size andshape are then sent to a confirmation step, which takes into accountfeatures extracted from the detected regions. These features includepixel values, color histograms, and texture features, since each ofthese is indicative of the material composition of the object underconsideration. A support vector machine trained to recognize pipe 106,roughneck 116, and/or elevator 118 like regions is then applied to thefeatures extracted from each foreground region. The detections may beinput into a finite state machine (FIG. 4).

Finite state machine logic systems may be used to ensure that the pipetally is accurate by ensuring that the computer vision system 100 onlyincrements the pipe tally when a suitable series of events hastranspired. FIG. 4 shows a finite state machine which may be used forincrementing the pipe tally during tripping out of the hole.

In each state, state specific variables may be calculated and recorded.For example, the pipe tracker uses a combination of point-matching(using Harris features and SIFT and BRIEF descriptors) within the piperegion, as well as Lucas-Kanade optical-flow techniques to estimate theper frame velocity of the pipe 106. If the aggregate motion of the pipe106 is “in well” (down), the pipe 106 is considered added to thedrill-string 107, and this is marked in the pipe tally. If the aggregatemotion of the pipe 106 is “out of well” (up), the pipe 106 is consideredremoved from the drill-string 107, and this is marked in the pipe tally.

Once a pipe 106 is tracked, its length and diameter may be constantlyestimated and updated over time as long as the pipe 106 is in-frame.Estimation of the pipe length and diameter are possible since theaggregate change detection and pipe detection steps described aboveresult in a bounding-box in image space containing the projection of thepipe 106 into the frame. Given the pixels comprising the pipe 106, andthe camera 102 location and pose information, it is possible to measurethe pipe diameter and length. These measurements are refined over timeto reduce uncertainty and noise due to inter-pixel variance.

When the pipe 106 exits the scene (whether into or out of the well), theaverage measured pipe length and diameter may be provided to the pipetally. For pipes 106 exiting the well, if these values do not agree withthe same values measured when the pipe 106 entered the well, an alarm120 may be raised. For pipes 106 entering the well, if these values areoutside the normal bounds, or are not commensurate with the previouspipe 106 to enter the well, an alarm 120 may be raised.

Embodiments disclosed herein may relate to a system for locating,measuring, counting or aiding in the handling of drill pipes 106. Thesystem may include at least one camera 102 which is operably connectedto at least one processor 110. The camera 102 may be capable ofgathering visual data 150 regarding detecting and/or localizingcomponents of a drilling rig which may include pipes 106, drill pipes,roughnecks 116, elevators 118, drill-string components and combinationsthereof. The processor 110 may be configured to analyze the visual dataand may also be operably connected to the pipe elevator 118. Theprocessor may be configured to halt elevator 118 operations when thevisual data is outside of a pre-determined set of conditions. The systemmay also include at least one logging system 124 connected to saidprocessor 110 for recording said visual data 150 and any analyzed data.

Certain embodiments may also include a display system 122 for displayingthe collected and/or analyzed data. Embodiments may include a camera 102which also comprises the processor 110. Embodiments of the system mayalso include an alarm 120 for alerting staff to the occurrence of apredetermined condition.

Disclosed embodiments may also relate to a method for locating,measuring, counting or aiding in the handling of drill pipes. The methodincludes acquiring visual data from at least one camera 102, analyzingsaid visual data 150, recording said analyzed data and disrupting theoperations of a pipe elevator in response to a pre-determined condition.

Certain embodiments may also include displaying the acquired, analyzedor recorded data on a display device 122. Embodiments may also includealerting staff to any occurrence of a pre-determined condition or anymeasurement that falls outside of a pre-determined range using an alarm120.

Additional embodiments relate to a system for assisting in the handlingof drill pipe segments. The system may include a well-bore 108 which isbeing worked by a drill-string 107. The drill-string 107 may comprise aplurality of drill pipe 106 segments. The system may also contain atleast one camera 102 configured to observe the addition or subtractionof drill pipe 106 segments to the drill-string 107 and gathering visualdata 150. The camera 102 may be operably connected to a processor 110.The process 110 may be capable of analyzing the visual data 150.

Certain embodiments may also include a logging system 124 connected tothe processor 110. Embodiments may also include a display system 122 fordisplaying the collected and/or analyzed data. Some embodiments mayinclude a camera 102 which includes a processor 110. Embodiments mayalso contain an alarm 120 for alerting staff of the occurrence of apre-determined condition.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for locating, measuring, counting,aiding or adjusting a handling of drill pipes, the system comprising: atleast one camera, said camera operably connected to at least oneprocessor, wherein said at least one camera is capable of gatheringvisual image data regarding at least one of a drill pipe, a roughneck,or a drill pipe elevator; the at least one processor coupled to the atleast one camera and configured to receive and analyze the visual imagedata, measure a length or a diameter of the drill pipe or a drill pipestand, and detect motion of the drill pipe or the drill pipe stand, theprocessor operably connected to the drill pipe elevator and configuredto adjust, alter, or halt elevator operations in response to adetermination that the measured length or diameter of the drill pipe ordrill pipe stand or the detected motion of the drill pipe or the drillpipe stand meets a pre-determined condition; and, at least one loggingsystem connected to said at least one processor for recording said data.2. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one display systemfor displaying the collected or analyzed data.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein said at least one camera comprises said at least one processor.4. The system of claim 1, further comprising an alarm for alerting staffto an occurrence of the pre-determined condition.
 5. A method forlocating, measuring, counting or aiding in a handling of drill pipes,the method comprising: acquiring visual image data from at least onecamera, analyzing said visual image data, performing backgroundestimation of the visual image data, detecting an object in the visualimage data as a drill pipe or a drill pipe stand based at least in parton the detected object meeting predefined shape or size constraints,detecting motion of the drill pipe or the drill pipe stand; measuring alength or diameter of the drill pipe or drill pipe stand in response tothe detection of the object in the visual image data as the drill pipeor the drill pipe stand, recording said analyzed data; and haltingelevator operations of an elevator in response to a determination thatthe measured length or diameter of the drill pipe or the drill pipestand or the detected motion of the drill pipe or the drill pipe standindicates an occurrence of a pre-determined condition.
 6. The method ofclaim 5, further comprising displaying the acquired, analyzed, orrecorded data.
 7. The method of claim 5, further comprising alertingstaff to the occurrence of the pre-determined condition.
 8. A system forassisting in handling of drill pipe segments comprising: at least onecamera operably connected to at least one processor and capable ofgathering visual image data regarding a drill-string at least partiallywithin a well-bore, the at least one processor coupled to the at leastone camera and operably connected to an elevator, the at least oneprocessor configured to receive and analyze the visual image data,perform background estimation of the visual image data, detect an objectas a drill pipe segment or a drill pipe stand responsive to the detectedobject being within predefined shape or size constraints, measure alength or a diameter of the drill pipe segment or the drill pipe stand,and adjust, alter, or halt elevator operations of the elevator inresponse to a determination that the measured length or diameter of thedrill pipe or drill pipe stand is within or outside of a pre-determinedcondition.
 9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a logging systemconnected to said at least one processor.
 10. The system of claim 8,further comprising at least one display system for displaying thecollected or analyzed data.
 11. The system of claim 8, wherein the atleast one camera comprises the at least one processor.
 12. The system ofclaim 8, further comprising an alarm for alerting staff to an occurrenceof the pre-determined condition.
 13. The system of claim 1, wherein theat least one camera is arranged to gather visual data regardingroughnecks, elevators, and combinations thereof.
 14. The method of claim5, wherein the step of acquiring visual data from at least one cameracomprises gathering visual data regarding roughnecks, elevators, andcombinations thereof.
 15. The system of claim 8, wherein the at leastone camera is arranged to gather visual data regarding roughnecks,elevators, and combinations thereof.
 16. The system of claim 1, whereinthe at least one processor is further configured to generate a pipetally based on the visual data.
 17. The method of claim 5, furthercomprising generating a pipe tally based on the visual data.
 18. Thesystem of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is furtherconfigured to generate a pipe tally based on the visual data.
 19. Thesystem of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is furtherconfigured to determine an aggregate motion of the drill pipe or thedrill pipe stand relative to the well-bore and adjust, alter, or haltelevator operations of the elevator in response to the determinedaggregate motion.
 20. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least oneprocessor is further configured to identify a marking of a markingsystem on the drill pipe segment or the drill pipe stand.
 21. The systemof claim 20, wherein the at least one camera is configured to measurethe length or the diameter of the drill pipe segment or the drill pipestand based on the identified marking.
 22. The system of claim 8,wherein the at least one processor is further configured to update thebackground estimation based on the visual image data and halt theupdating of the background estimation based on the detection of theobject within the predefined shape and size constraints.
 23. The systemof claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured toidentify a marking of a marking system on the drill pipe or the drillpipe stand and adjust, alter, or halt elevator operations in response tothe identified marking.